Soil Contaminants
Common mineral soil contaminants include arsenic, barium, cadmium, copper, mercury, lead, and zinc.
Lead is a particularly dangerous soil component. The following table from the University of Minnesota categorizes typical soil concentration levels and their associated health risks.
| Lead Level | Extracted lead (ppm) | Estimated total lead (ppm) |
|---|---|---|
| Low | <43 | <500 |
| Medium | 43-126 | 500-1000 |
| High | 126-480 | 1000-3000 |
| Very high | >480 | >3000 |
- Six gardening practices to reduce the lead risk
- Locate gardens away from old painted structures and heavily traveled roads
- Give planting preferences to fruiting crops (tomatoes, squash, peas, sunflowers, corn, etc.)
- Incorporate organic materials such as finished compost, humus, and peat moss
- Lime soil as recommended by soil test (pH 6.5 minimizes lead availability)
- Discard old and outer leaves before eating leafy vegetables; peel root crops; wash all produce
- Keep dust to a minimum by maintaining a mulched and/or moist soil surface
Read more about this topic: Soil Test
Famous quotes containing the word soil:
“An underground grower, blind and a common brown;
Got a misshapen look, it’s nudged where it could;
Simple as soil yet crowded as earth with all.”
—Richard Wilbur (b. 1921)